![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
If there wasn't enough left for me, I actually might be more impressed than worried.
It's too heavy to eat more than one slice at a time, so I really didn't have a choice. It's not going to waste, though! I made the President and Miyako-san have some too, since they're working so hard.
[ what actually happened: neither of them believed she'd actually manage to get a pizza like that and now she's forcing them to eat their words. and uh, pizza apparently. ]
[ what actually happened: neither of them believed she'd actually manage to get a pizza like that and now she's forcing them to eat their words. and uh, pizza apparently. ]
[ he's
he's gotta know. ]
I know you would have eaten more than one in spirit. How are the President and Miyako-san handling it?
he's gotta know. ]
I know you would have eaten more than one in spirit. How are the President and Miyako-san handling it?
[ my god he is excited to eat this thing. but also: ]
Shall I bring laxatives for the President?
Shall I bring laxatives for the President?
Your power of suggestion is dangerous, you know?
[This is not what his family had predicted for him when he got his degree in mathematics and electrical engineering. However, not even his strict old-fashioned father could argue with the results. Sylvain Gautier is now one of the most sought after stage managers and designers in the industry. Usually, doing tech means being invisible, but Sylvain's work is anything but. He is legendary for custom lighting effects and sound design that enhance the performance of any musician who steps onto his stage. So of course it was only inevitable that he would work with Ai.]
[There's something about her that he likes more than the other idols he's worked with. He can't quite put his finger on it. When he asked his friend, Felix, who works security at his shows what it might be, Felix scoffed that he didn't want to hear about Sylvain's new crush. That's not it! Well, he won't deny that she's beautiful, and mesmerizing on stage, but that isn't what he means this time! At least, he thinks so.]
[A presence like Ai, and a voice like that, means he has to bring his A-game. The venue they're preparing for is huge, but the lighting system is outdated. Sylvain intends to fix that. He has brought in his own lighting board and is busy connecting it with the system already in place. He has studio headphones on, listening to Ai's music, of course, as he works. He would be easy to sneak up on from the right angle.]
[ Today, Ai and the rest of B-Komachi are adorned in starlight. Usually, their stylists favor bold and flashy colours, florescent pops of their image colours to better stand out on stage even to those at the back of the hall but today they're in pretty pastels and studded with accessories to catch the light. Their job today is to twinkle rather than dazzle – despite the size of the venue, today's been marketed as a sweeter, more intimate sort of show... or as intimate as it gets with hundreds of other fans crushed into the space and the girls still as high up and unreachable on the stage as ever.
It's a little silly. But it's the show the fans want to see, so Ai's going to give it to them. And that means taking advantage of every little thing on the stage – including the lights.
They're in a break between final checks when she makes her way over to him – she doesn't exactly mean to Sneak Up On Him From The Right Angle, but well, if he's so engrossed in her music, then... ]
Aah, so B-Sign is your favourite? I wouldn't have guessed!
[ AI JUMPSCARE ]
It's a little silly. But it's the show the fans want to see, so Ai's going to give it to them. And that means taking advantage of every little thing on the stage – including the lights.
They're in a break between final checks when she makes her way over to him – she doesn't exactly mean to Sneak Up On Him From The Right Angle, but well, if he's so engrossed in her music, then... ]
Aah, so B-Sign is your favourite? I wouldn't have guessed!
[ AI JUMPSCARE ]
[Even considering how often he now works with idols and idol groups, Sylvain is sometimes not the guy most people expect to listen to that genre on his own time. Unless they're expecting him to be into the Cute Girls aspect of it, due to his reputation as a playboy. He seems pretty into it now, though, his leg tapping in time with the upbeat tempo, his shoulders moving a little as he works.]
[He is thankfully done with a delicate part of the task and about to set down a tool when Ai speaks, using her strong lungs to be heard over the music. He yelps, so manly, and snaps his head up so fast his headphones go askew.]
Ah, Ai-san.
[He smiles sheepishly as he stops the music and takes off the jumbled headset, nervously fixing his assuredly mussed up hair.]
What can I say, it's a good hype song.
[She always looks dazzling in her idol costumes, but this crystalline sparkle is something else entirely. His eyes keep being drawn to the way her cut gemstone earrings reflect the light, her necklace, the little gems on her wristlets, and back to her sparkling eyes. She's intimidating, for a teeny tiny lady.]
I want to be sure I bring all the energy I need to make sure you ladies shine up there.
[ The grin Ai gives him is 100% mischief and 0% apology, even if a teeny part of her does feel a little bad for catching him so off guard – but hey, if a girl like Ai can sneak up on him then she's doing him a favor by making sure he stays on his toes, right? ]
It does a good job of getting you pumped up and ready to go, huh? It's one of my favourites too.
[ Maybe not for the same reasons anybody else might like it – everyone else probably thinks of her whenever they hear it but she can only think of Aqua and Ruby waving around their little penlights. How could it not put a smile on her face? ]
Mm, you see, that's actually what I came over here to talk to you about. Is it too late to make a teeny tiny change to the lights at the final call near the end?
[ Smile, smile. Something about the look she's giving him makes it extremely clear that even if it is too late then Ai absolutely doesn't want to hear it! She's got Plans. ]
It does a good job of getting you pumped up and ready to go, huh? It's one of my favourites too.
[ Maybe not for the same reasons anybody else might like it – everyone else probably thinks of her whenever they hear it but she can only think of Aqua and Ruby waving around their little penlights. How could it not put a smile on her face? ]
Mm, you see, that's actually what I came over here to talk to you about. Is it too late to make a teeny tiny change to the lights at the final call near the end?
[ Smile, smile. Something about the look she's giving him makes it extremely clear that even if it is too late then Ai absolutely doesn't want to hear it! She's got Plans. ]
[She has no reason to feel bad, he's kind of delighted by her boldness. He's definitely charmed by the evil glint to her smile. It suits her, a little spice with the sweetness.]
I bet you say that about all B-Komachi's songs.
[He winks playfully, softening the accusation to just teasing.]
Well, you did catch me as I was installing a new switchboard, which I still need to program for the show. So, no, it isn't too late.
[They still have one more dress run before the final show tonight anyway. His smile is a bit coy, telling her that it is definitely late to be changing the plan, and he's being nice about it.]
What did our shining star have in mind?
[ it would be a stretch to say kotone and ai had been friends, when they were kids. a group home wasn't exactly conducive to forming those kind of overtly positive connections, especially among damaged children. they got each other back then, though, in a way that kotone had found troubling more often than not. she hated the idea of being seen through, and ai hadn't been much different. and as they were around the same age, they'd tended to be grouped together for things back then, so the two of them at least spent a decent amount of time together.
kotone had always been interested in music. it was one of the only things she could confidently say she liked, at one point, really. after ai was scouted and moved out, she began focusing on it more and more, until—well, it wasn't as if she wanted to ride ai's coattails, exactly. but she had put a demo together of a few songs she'd written and composed, accompanying herself on piano and guitar, and sent it to ai just... to ask her opinion. next she knew, she was in talks with ai's agency. she wasn't being scouted, or offered any sort of contract just yet, but... well, clearly, someone had put a word in with the agency's president. room, board, and entrance in an arts high school's music program on ichipro's dime, with the only apparent catch being a first look deal on kotone's music.
she said yes. of course she said yes.
things carried on like that, for a little while, with both of them on different paths but headed in the same direction. since then—well, she doesn't know what she'd call her dynamic with ai. not quite colleagues, not quite friends. family, too, isn't right. not that kotone remembers what family feels like, anymore.
she's there when it becomes apparent that ai's pregnant, even if saitou is still in denial about the situation. she suspects whose it is—she's only met the boy in passing, and she'd honestly found him offputting, but she'd kept her mouth shut at the time given that ai clearly liked him. (then again, most boys have an uphill climb to make, when it comes to shiomi kotone.)
she doesn't ask, because she knows ai wouldn't tell her. so they leave it at that. kotone... takes some time off of school. she's ever the overachiever, involved in too many clubs to some extent or another, top scores—but it isn't exactly easy to make the constant trips to takachiho work. she's not even sure why she bothers—saitou's been there with her, and by all accounts, things are fine. but she goes anyway. the only real trouble is when kamiki—shock of shocks—and some creepy guy come poking around the hospital when ai's supposed to be due. kotone confronts them and makes enough of a fuss that security gets involved, and... well, that's the worst that happens.
now, though? now? the agency's seen fit to put her in the apartment where they've put up ai and the twins. she's... more okay with this arrangement than she expected to be. and she's less of a disaster around the house than ai, frankly. she's still going to school, but she's cut her extracurriculars down and heads home, most days. ruby's asleep, aqua's feeding, while the tv hums aimlessly. ]
... I'm not second-guessing you here or anything, and they're great, but... why were you so sure you wanted to keep 'em?
kotone had always been interested in music. it was one of the only things she could confidently say she liked, at one point, really. after ai was scouted and moved out, she began focusing on it more and more, until—well, it wasn't as if she wanted to ride ai's coattails, exactly. but she had put a demo together of a few songs she'd written and composed, accompanying herself on piano and guitar, and sent it to ai just... to ask her opinion. next she knew, she was in talks with ai's agency. she wasn't being scouted, or offered any sort of contract just yet, but... well, clearly, someone had put a word in with the agency's president. room, board, and entrance in an arts high school's music program on ichipro's dime, with the only apparent catch being a first look deal on kotone's music.
she said yes. of course she said yes.
things carried on like that, for a little while, with both of them on different paths but headed in the same direction. since then—well, she doesn't know what she'd call her dynamic with ai. not quite colleagues, not quite friends. family, too, isn't right. not that kotone remembers what family feels like, anymore.
she's there when it becomes apparent that ai's pregnant, even if saitou is still in denial about the situation. she suspects whose it is—she's only met the boy in passing, and she'd honestly found him offputting, but she'd kept her mouth shut at the time given that ai clearly liked him. (then again, most boys have an uphill climb to make, when it comes to shiomi kotone.)
she doesn't ask, because she knows ai wouldn't tell her. so they leave it at that. kotone... takes some time off of school. she's ever the overachiever, involved in too many clubs to some extent or another, top scores—but it isn't exactly easy to make the constant trips to takachiho work. she's not even sure why she bothers—saitou's been there with her, and by all accounts, things are fine. but she goes anyway. the only real trouble is when kamiki—shock of shocks—and some creepy guy come poking around the hospital when ai's supposed to be due. kotone confronts them and makes enough of a fuss that security gets involved, and... well, that's the worst that happens.
now, though? now? the agency's seen fit to put her in the apartment where they've put up ai and the twins. she's... more okay with this arrangement than she expected to be. and she's less of a disaster around the house than ai, frankly. she's still going to school, but she's cut her extracurriculars down and heads home, most days. ruby's asleep, aqua's feeding, while the tv hums aimlessly. ]
... I'm not second-guessing you here or anything, and they're great, but... why were you so sure you wanted to keep 'em?
Edited 2023-06-02 08:31 (UTC)
[ Ahah. So late, but not too late. He says it so easily with such a breezy smile that you could almost miss it. She's being a little unreasonable, but she's being allowed to get away with it. Privileges of being a cute girl and a cute girl as famous as B-Komachi's Ai, it seems.
Rather than let any of that on, though, Ai just keeps giving him that perfectly innocent smile – a little cheeky, a girl who knows she's being just a bit of a diva but is totally oblivious to any of the work that goes into meeting her demands. A little high-maintenance, maybe, but totally lacking in malice. ]
It's funny you say shining because that's just what I had in mind. It's just, I was thinking... I know at the end they always like to spotlight us in our image colours and that usually works just fine, but mine's going to be red... won't it wash me out a little like this?
[ She does an elegant little turn on the spot just to demonstrate - no strong colours at all on thus outfit. ]
Wouldn't white look prettier?
Rather than let any of that on, though, Ai just keeps giving him that perfectly innocent smile – a little cheeky, a girl who knows she's being just a bit of a diva but is totally oblivious to any of the work that goes into meeting her demands. A little high-maintenance, maybe, but totally lacking in malice. ]
It's funny you say shining because that's just what I had in mind. It's just, I was thinking... I know at the end they always like to spotlight us in our image colours and that usually works just fine, but mine's going to be red... won't it wash me out a little like this?
[ She does an elegant little turn on the spot just to demonstrate - no strong colours at all on thus outfit. ]
Wouldn't white look prettier?
[ Children pass through group homes like ducks through water and Ai would be a liar (well, even more of a liar than usual) if she tried to say she remembered very many of them. A particular name or two might stick in her head or she might remember a funny story of some nonsense or other, but she can't actually put any people to any of it. She remembers a few of them, though – presences frictive or persistent enough that they manage to stick with her even after everything else washes out.
Kotone is one of them. She isn't someone Ai spends much time thinking about when she's busy with work but on the occasions her mind creeps back to the group home, it's Kotone's face that pops up in her mind. Maybe that's why, when Kotone gets in touch, Ai passes the demo along to Saitou along with a few other choice words and some very convincing puppy dog eyes. She tells herself it's an investment – something about feathering her nest, paying back some luck to the place she came from. But if she's frank, even Ai isn't quite sure what had spurred it on. Maybe it's guilt – knowing that she'd gotten away and that maybe Kotone hadn't.
It's strangely easy to adjust to having the girl back in her life, even though it's so different from the other girls in B-Komachi. Or maybe because it's so different – with Kotone, there's none of the quiet resentment, simmering bitterness and resignation. They aren't relying on each other for anything, really, so there's no expectations. It makes things refreshingly simple... is what Ai continues to tell herself, anyway.
It's not until the twins come around that she really feels something shift. The days following the birth had been a haze of exhaustion, discomfort edging on pain and delirious, overwhelming joy – and Kotone, hovering at her side even when Saitou wasn't. Ai decides that she'd insisted on having Kotone stay at the apartment had been because she wasn't thinking straight and any well-reasoned and well-articulated arguments about the matter had been because her brain was soup and her opinions could obviously not be trusted.
But Kotone's here now. And... having Kotone here has been nice. So maybe, god forbid, strung-out-on-painkillers-and-baby-brain-chemicals Ai had been on to something. ]
It's a little late to ask that now, isn't it? [ She says it playfully enough and without any bite – though that's par for the course when she's balancing one of the kids on her lap. For all that Saitou and Miyako had been grinding their teeth in worry about her not knowing what to do when the kids were actually here, she's at least snapped onto comfortably bottle feeding like a pro. ] But... the doctor asked me the same thing.
[ Not exactly. Not in as many words – but she'd seen it all over his face and she'd known what answer to give then as well. ]
It wasn't until we first went to the hospital, really. I hadn't had any kind of examination before then so I had no clue what was going on. But as soon as he said 'twins' and I started to think about it... everything just sort of clicked into place.
[ Aqua lets out a fussy noise of complaint and Ai scoops him up to cuddle him properly, head resting on her shoulder so she can ruffle his hair. ]
I just had this thought of... I'd never had anybody I could call family before. And now all of a sudden, I might have two. How lucky is that?
Kotone is one of them. She isn't someone Ai spends much time thinking about when she's busy with work but on the occasions her mind creeps back to the group home, it's Kotone's face that pops up in her mind. Maybe that's why, when Kotone gets in touch, Ai passes the demo along to Saitou along with a few other choice words and some very convincing puppy dog eyes. She tells herself it's an investment – something about feathering her nest, paying back some luck to the place she came from. But if she's frank, even Ai isn't quite sure what had spurred it on. Maybe it's guilt – knowing that she'd gotten away and that maybe Kotone hadn't.
It's strangely easy to adjust to having the girl back in her life, even though it's so different from the other girls in B-Komachi. Or maybe because it's so different – with Kotone, there's none of the quiet resentment, simmering bitterness and resignation. They aren't relying on each other for anything, really, so there's no expectations. It makes things refreshingly simple... is what Ai continues to tell herself, anyway.
It's not until the twins come around that she really feels something shift. The days following the birth had been a haze of exhaustion, discomfort edging on pain and delirious, overwhelming joy – and Kotone, hovering at her side even when Saitou wasn't. Ai decides that she'd insisted on having Kotone stay at the apartment had been because she wasn't thinking straight and any well-reasoned and well-articulated arguments about the matter had been because her brain was soup and her opinions could obviously not be trusted.
But Kotone's here now. And... having Kotone here has been nice. So maybe, god forbid, strung-out-on-painkillers-and-baby-brain-chemicals Ai had been on to something. ]
It's a little late to ask that now, isn't it? [ She says it playfully enough and without any bite – though that's par for the course when she's balancing one of the kids on her lap. For all that Saitou and Miyako had been grinding their teeth in worry about her not knowing what to do when the kids were actually here, she's at least snapped onto comfortably bottle feeding like a pro. ] But... the doctor asked me the same thing.
[ Not exactly. Not in as many words – but she'd seen it all over his face and she'd known what answer to give then as well. ]
It wasn't until we first went to the hospital, really. I hadn't had any kind of examination before then so I had no clue what was going on. But as soon as he said 'twins' and I started to think about it... everything just sort of clicked into place.
[ Aqua lets out a fussy noise of complaint and Ai scoops him up to cuddle him properly, head resting on her shoulder so she can ruffle his hair. ]
I just had this thought of... I'd never had anybody I could call family before. And now all of a sudden, I might have two. How lucky is that?
[ she's told herself that her sticking so close isn't really... about ai. that she knows what losing parents—loving parents, the kind of parent ai clearly wants to be—does to a kid. and even with all of the blowback he might face, the eyes on him now, it terrifies her to think they might not be done with the twins' father. there's an obvious nightmare scenario that she can't be sure they've avoided.
kotone knows that in the worst case, a kid's clearest memory of their mother can be their very last. what haunts them when they close their eyes. but even then, that doesn't account for even half of what she's done up to now, does it? kotone watches aqua as he settles into place, resisting the impulse to reach out to the baby as well. ]
Hey, I'm just curious! [ she huffs a quiet laugh, not exactly a mirthful one, but honest. ] And... dunno, guess I thought I'd have been overstepping, before. [ but she listens, as ai explains her motivation. it... makes a lot of sense, really. some part of kotone—a small part—wants to ask the obvious question: "what about us?"
she quashes the thought as soon as it comes. whatever ai is to her, again—family isn't right. and since when the hell did she think of herself, saitou and miyako as an us, in any sense of the word? at all? ]
Really lucky. Even if... y'know. The circumstances. [ she closes her notebook, opening her schoolbag by the couch and slipping it back inside. ]
What are you feeling like for dinner? I don't mind cooking, if we've got the stuff.
kotone knows that in the worst case, a kid's clearest memory of their mother can be their very last. what haunts them when they close their eyes. but even then, that doesn't account for even half of what she's done up to now, does it? kotone watches aqua as he settles into place, resisting the impulse to reach out to the baby as well. ]
Hey, I'm just curious! [ she huffs a quiet laugh, not exactly a mirthful one, but honest. ] And... dunno, guess I thought I'd have been overstepping, before. [ but she listens, as ai explains her motivation. it... makes a lot of sense, really. some part of kotone—a small part—wants to ask the obvious question: "what about us?"
she quashes the thought as soon as it comes. whatever ai is to her, again—family isn't right. and since when the hell did she think of herself, saitou and miyako as an us, in any sense of the word? at all? ]
Really lucky. Even if... y'know. The circumstances. [ she closes her notebook, opening her schoolbag by the couch and slipping it back inside. ]
What are you feeling like for dinner? I don't mind cooking, if we've got the stuff.
Edited 2023-06-04 07:16 (UTC)
Hmm, I'd say the circumstances are why it's lucky. Wouldn't you?
[ She gives Kotone a little grin – it's a particular flavor of playfulness that she reserves exclusively for her, Saitou and Miyako, an I know something you don't brand of infuriating mischief. It would somehow be less annoying if it actually made it all the way to smugness, but never quite gets there. ]
I mean... what was it I said to the doctor back then... [ With Aqua carefully balanced on her shoulder, Ai rises from the couch and drifts over to Kotone's side. ] Usually, people have to pick between being happy as an idol or as a mother. But this way, I get to have both at the same time.
[ So long as things work out. But with Kotone, Saitou and Miyako helping to pick up Ai's inevitable slack, she thinks they just might. ]
You really don't mind cooking after school? It feels a little mean to make you pull personal chef duties once you're home.
[ She gives Kotone a little grin – it's a particular flavor of playfulness that she reserves exclusively for her, Saitou and Miyako, an I know something you don't brand of infuriating mischief. It would somehow be less annoying if it actually made it all the way to smugness, but never quite gets there. ]
I mean... what was it I said to the doctor back then... [ With Aqua carefully balanced on her shoulder, Ai rises from the couch and drifts over to Kotone's side. ] Usually, people have to pick between being happy as an idol or as a mother. But this way, I get to have both at the same time.
[ So long as things work out. But with Kotone, Saitou and Miyako helping to pick up Ai's inevitable slack, she thinks they just might. ]
You really don't mind cooking after school? It feels a little mean to make you pull personal chef duties once you're home.
[ god, that kind of grin is all too familiar. it's not far off from one of kotone's own moves. she scoffs a little, rolling her eyes and not bothering to hide her own smaller smile as she turns towards the fridge. she wants to push back a little, to say that isn't the part she meant, but... either ai understood what kotone was saying and glossed past it, or she's less concerned about it right now. either way, there's no sense in bringing things down by focusing on it. on the eyes she sees too much of in the baby in ai's arms. so instead, she undoes and reties her ponytail, a nervous and steadying motion. ]
It's fiiiine, it's fine! I did a bunch of meal prep stuff on Sunday, you just didn't notice 'cause you'd still burn it. [ it comes out harmlessly, sounding a little amused, but kotone's not quite looking at her. conveniently, she can focus her attention on the contents of the fridge instead. ] There's some chicken marinating...? Breasts and thighs, looks like. I know you don't really like donburi, so... karaage sound good?
It's fiiiine, it's fine! I did a bunch of meal prep stuff on Sunday, you just didn't notice 'cause you'd still burn it. [ it comes out harmlessly, sounding a little amused, but kotone's not quite looking at her. conveniently, she can focus her attention on the contents of the fridge instead. ] There's some chicken marinating...? Breasts and thighs, looks like. I know you don't really like donburi, so... karaage sound good?
Edited 2023-06-04 19:43 (UTC)
Page 1 of 7